No mining within 1 km of protected forests, orders Supreme Court

In a bid to protect wildlife biodiversity in the country, the Supreme Court has said each protected forest should have a 1-km radius of eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) and no mining shall be permitted there.  

A bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao, BR Gavai and Aniruddha Bose gave directions in a public interest litigation case (TN Godavarman Thirumalpad vs Union of India).

“The Chief Conservator of Forests should make a list of existing structures under the sensitive zone and submit the report to the court within three months,” the bench said.

The bench addressed two sets of issues in the litigation. “The first set